Marcus Cross-Relationship Probed by Time-Resolved CIDNP.

The time-resolved CIDNP method can provide information about degenerate exchange reactions (DEEs) involving short-lived radicals. In the temperature range from 8 to 65 °C, the DEE reactions of the guanosine-5'-monophosphate anion GMP(-H)- with the neutral radical GMP(-H)•, of the N-acetyl tyrosine anion N-AcTyrO- with a neutral radical N-AcTyrO•, and of the tyrosine anion TyrO- with a neutral radical TyrO• were studied. In all the studied cases, the radicals were formed in the reaction of quenching triplet 2,2'-dipyridyl. The reorganization energies were obtained from Arrhenius plots. The rate constant of the reductive electron transfer reaction in the pair GMP(-H)•/TyrO- was determined at T = 25 °C. Rate constants of the GMP(-H)• radical reduction reactions with TyrO- and N-AcTyrO- anions calculated by the Marcus cross-relation differ from the experimental ones by two orders of magnitude. The rate constants of several other electron transfer reactions involving GMP(-H)-/GMP(-H)•, N-AcTyrO-/N-AcTyrO•, and TyrO-/TyrO• pairs calculated by cross-relation agree well with the experimental values. The rate of nuclear paramagnetic relaxation was found for the 3,5 and ß-protons of TyrO• and N-AcTyrO•, the 8-proton of GMP(-H)•, and the 3,4-protons of DPH• at each temperature. In all cases, the dependences of the rate of nuclear paramagnetic relaxation on temperature are described by the Arrhenius dependence.

Reduction of transient carnosine radicals depends on ß-alanyl amino group charge.

Reduction of transient carnosine (ß-alanyl-L-histidine) radicals by L-tryptophan, N-acetyl tryptophan, and the Trp-Gly peptide in neutral and basic aqueous solutions was studied using the technique of time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (TR CIDNP). Carnosine radicals were generated in the photoinduced reaction with triplet excited 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxy benzophenone. In this reaction, carnosine radicals with their radical center at the histidine residue are formed. Modeling of CIDNP kinetic data allowed for the determination of pH-dependent rate constants of the reduction reaction. It was shown that the protonation state of the amino group of the non-reacting ß-alanine residue of the carnosine radical affects the rate constant of the reduction reaction. The results were compared to those obtained previously for the reduction of histidine and N-acetyl histidine free radicals and to newly obtained results for the reduction of radicals derived from Gly-His, a homologue of carnosine. Clear differences were demonstrated.

Unravelling structures of radicals of kynurenic acid formed in the photoinduced reactions with tryptophan and N-acetyl tyrosine.

Kynurenic acid (KNA) in the triplet state reacts with tryptophan (Trp) at neutral pH via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), which includes the stepwise transition of both electron and proton from Trp to triplet KNA. In the case of tyrosine (Tyr), the quenching reaction is H-transfer, a simultaneous transfer of electron and proton. In this work, we used the time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (TR CIDNP) method to unveil the sites of H/H+ transfer within KNA. For this purpose, we obtained the values of 1H hyperfine coupling constants (HFCCs) and g-factors for different tautomeric forms of KNA radicals by the DFT method, then calculated CIDNP intensities using these g-factors and HFCCs according to the Adrian model. The calculated CIDNP intensities for different protons were correlated with their CIDNP intensities in the geminate spectra detected in the photoreactions of KNA with Trp, N-acetyl Trp, and N-acetyl Tyr. Best-fit proportionality relationships between calculated and experimental CIDNP intensities have shown that the KNA anion radical is present in two of the three possible tautomeric forms, which result from the H/H+ movement to the carbonyl oxygen of keto- and oxo-quinolinate forms of KNA, without any visible contribution of the H/H+ transfer to the nitrogen of the enol form. For 4-hydroxyquinoline (4HQN), being the chromophoric core of KNA and exhibiting the same PCET and H-transfer reactions with Trp and Tyr, a single possible tautomeric form of its radical has been revealed as H/H+ transfer to the carbonyl oxygen of the keto-form.

Kynurenic acid and its chromophoric core 4-hydroxyquinoline react with tryptophan via proton-coupled electron transfer, and with tyrosine via H-transfer.

Kynurenic acid (KNA) and 4-hydroxyquinoline (4HQN) are photochemically active products of tryptophan catabolism that readily react with tryptophan (Trp) and tyrosine (Tyr) after optical excitation. Recently, transient absorption experiments have shown that at neutral pH Trp reacts with triplet KNA via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), and not via electron transfer (ET) as it was suggested before. PCET includes the stepwise transition of both electrons and protons from Trp to triplet KNA. In this work, we confirmed that PCET is the reaction mechanism by the alternative method of time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (TR-CIDNP). Further studies by TR-CIDNP revealed hydrogen transfer as the mechanism of the reaction between triplet KNA and Tyr in neutral solutions and a transition of both PCET and H-transfer mechanisms to ET under acidic conditions. 4HQN, being the chromophoric core of KNA, exhibits different spectral and photophysical properties from KNA but employs the same mechanisms for the reactions of its triplet state with Trp and Tyr at neutral and acidic pH.

Kinetic evidence for the transiently shifted acidity constant of histidine linked to paramagnetic tyrosine probed by intramolecular electron transfer in oxidized peptides.

The kinetics of electron transfer (ET) from tyrosine (Tyr) to short-lived histidine (His) radicals in peptides of different structures was monitored using time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) to follow the reduction of the His radicals using NMR detection of the diamagnetic hyperpolarized reaction products. In aqueous solution over a wide pH range, His radicals were generated in situ in the photo-induced reaction with the photosensitizer, 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxy benzophenone. Model simulations of the CIDNP kinetics provided pH-dependent rate constants of intra- and intermolecular ET, and the pH dependencies of the reaction under study were interpreted in terms of protonation states of the reactants and the product, His with either protonated or neutral imidazole. In some cases, an increase of pKa of imidazole in the presence of the short-lived radical center at a nearby Tyr residue was revealed. Interpretation of the obtained pH dependencies made is possible to quantify the degree of paramagnetic shift of the acidity constant of the imidazole of the His residue in the peptides with a Tyr residue in its paramagnetic state, and to correlate this degree with the intramolecular ET rate constant - a higher intramolecular ET rate constant corresponded to a greater acidity constant shift.

Reduction of transient histidine radicals by tryptophan: influence of the amino group charge.

Second-order rate constants of the reduction of histidine radicals by tryptophan were obtained for all combinations of the two amino acids and their N-acetyl derivatives. For the dipeptide N-acetyl histidine-tryptophan, contributions from inter- and intramolecular reduction were revealed. The pH dependences of the rate constants were found to be determined by the protonation state of the amino group of tryptophan. Proton coupled electron transfer is proposed as a reaction mechanism.

Exchange interaction in short-lived flavine adenine dinucleotide biradical in aqueous solution revisited by CIDNP (chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization) and nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion.

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is an important cofactor in many light-sensitive enzymes. The role of the adenine moiety of FAD in light-induced electron transfer was obscured, because it involves an adenine radical, which is short-lived with a weak chromophore. However, an intramolecular electron transfer from adenine to flavin was revealed several years ago by Robert Kaptein by using chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP). The question of whether one or two types of biradicals of FAD in aqueous solution are formed stays unresolved so far. In the present work, we revisited the CIDNP study of FAD using a robust mechanical sample shuttling setup covering a wide magnetic field range with sample illumination by a light-emitting diode. Also, a cost efficient fast field cycling apparatus with high spectral resolution detection up to 16.4 T for nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion studies was built based on a 700 MHz NMR spectrometer. Site-specific proton relaxation dispersion data for FAD show a strong restriction of the relative motion of its isoalloxazine and adenine rings with coincident correlation times for adenine, flavin, and their ribityl phosphate linker. This finding is consistent with the assumption that the molecular structure of FAD is rigid and compact. The structure with close proximity of the isoalloxazine and purine moieties is favorable for reversible light-induced intramolecular electron transfer from adenine to triplet excited flavin with formation of a transient spin-correlated triplet biradical F⚫--A⚫+. Spin-selective recombination of the biradical leads to the formation of CIDNP with a common emissive maximum at 4.0 mT detected for adenine and flavin protons. Careful correction of the CIDNP data for relaxation losses during sample shuttling shows that only a single maximum of CIDNP is formed in the magnetic field range from 0.1 mT to 9 T; thus, only one type of FAD biradical is detectable. Modeling of the CIDNP field dependence provides good agreement with the experimental data for a normal distance distribution between the two radical centers around 0.89 nm and an effective electron exchange interaction of -2.0 mT.

Reduction of Transient Histidine Radicals by Tyrosine: Influence of the Protonation State of Reactants.

The role of tyrosine radicals as mediators of electron transfer reactions in enzymes is well established, as is the involvement of histidine as a binding partner. But how environmental factors affect these reactions remains poorly explored. In the study presented here, kinetic data on the influence of the protonation state of the reactants on the reduction of transient histidine radicals by tyrosine were obtained in neutral and basic aqueous solution (pH 6-12) using time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP). The histidine radicals were generated in the photo-induced reaction with the photosensitizer 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxy benzophenone. From model simulations of the detected CIDNP kinetics, pH dependent second-order rate constants of the reduction of histidine radicals were obtained for four possible combinations of the amino acids and their N-acetyl derivatives, and also for the systems histidine-phenylalanine dipeptide/N-acetyl tyrosine, and N-acetyl histidine/tyrosine-glutamine dipeptide. The pH dependences of the rate constant of the reduction reaction are explained accounting for the protonation states of reactants, and also protonation state of the equilibrium form of the product - reduced form of histidine radical, which is histidine with neutral or a positively charged imidazole.

Competition of singlet and triplet recombination of radical pairs in photoreactions of carboxy benzophenones and aromatic amino acids.

Time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) and transient absorption (TA) were applied to reveal the branching ratio of the singlet and triplet recombination channels in the reaction of short-lived radicals of carboxy benzophenones and the aromatic amino acids histidine, tryptophan, and tyrosine in neutral aqueous solution. It was established that the share of triplet recombination increases with increasing number of carboxylic groups: no triplet recombination was found for 4-carboxy benzophenone, whereas ∼13% of radicals of 4,4'-dicarboxy benzophenone (DCBP) and ∼27% of radicals of 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxy benzophenone (TCBP) react with histidine radicals from the triplet state of radical pairs. The main idea is that the protonated (π,π*) triplet state of TCBP or DCBP is populated via back electron transfer from the ketyl radical of TCBP or DCBP to the radical of the amino acid. The protonated triplet state of the ketone decays with the formation of a metastable hydroxylated product, which is detected by TA. Taking into account triplet recombination provides excellent coincidence between experimental data and the simulated CIDNP kinetics.

Time-Resolved Chemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Biologically Important Molecules.

In this work, we review the hyperpolarization technique named chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP), focusing on the time-resolved variant of this method and its biological applications. We introduce the main principles of polarization formation in liquids at high magnetic fields, provided by the so-called spin sorting mechanism. Applications of CIDNP to studying fast reactions of short-lived free radicals of biologically important molecules are discussed, as well as the potential of the method to probe the structure and magnetic parameters of such radicals. We also explain the principles of protein CIDNP and discuss applications of time-resolved CIDNP to studies of protein structure and dynamics.

Electron transfer vs. proton-coupled electron transfer as the mechanism of reaction between amino acids and triplet-excited benzophenones revealed by time-resolved CIDNP.

Hyperfine coupling constants (HFCCs) of the short-lived radicals of 4-carboxy, 4,4'-dicarboxy, and 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxy benzophenones (4-CBP, DCBP, and TCBP, respectively) formed in their photoreaction with tyrosine were obtained from analysis of geminate CIDNP spectra. These HFCCs were compared to HFCCs calculated using density functional theory. From this comparison, it was established that the CIDNP pattern of TCBP originates from contributions of three types of TCBP radical structures: the non-protonated anion radical and two anion radical structures with a protonated carboxylic group at position 3 or 4 (or 3' or 4'). This allowed us to conclude that the mechanism of the quenching reaction is proton coupled electron transfer (PCET): electron transfer is followed by proton transfer to one of four possible positions with similar probabilities. The same CIDNP pattern and therefore the same reaction mechanism was established for histidine. For 4-CBP and DCBP, triplet quenching proceeds also via PCET, again with formation of the anion radical with a protonated carboxylic group.

Kinetics of Reversible Protonation of Transient Neutral Guanine Radical in Neutral Aqueous Solution.

Time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (TR-CIDNP) is applied to follow transformation of the short-lived neutral guanine radical into a secondary guanine radical by its protonation, presumably at position N7. In the initial step the photoreaction of guanosine-5'-monophosphate (GMP) with triplet excited 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxy benzophenone (TCBP) leads to formation of the neutral radical G(-H). . The evidence of the radical conversion is based on the inversion of CIDNP sign for TCBP and GMP protons on the microsecond timescale as a result of the change in magnetic resonance parameters in the pairs of TCBP and GMP radicals due to structural changes of the GMP radical. Acceleration of the CIDNP sign change upon addition of phosphate (proton donor) confirms that the radical transformation responsible for the observed CIDNP kinetics is protonation of the neutral guanine radical with formation of the newly characterized cation radical, (G.+ )'. From the full analysis of the pH-dependent CIDNP kinetics, the protonation and deprotonation behaviour is quantitatively characterized, giving pKa =8.0±0.2 of the cation radical (G.+ )'.

Relation between CIDNP formed upon geminate and bulk recombination of radical pairs.

A theoretical approach to time-resolved Chemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (CIDNP) is proposed, which allows one to obtain the general relation between polarization formed upon recombination of geminate spin-correlated radical pairs, the so-called G-pairs, and upon recombination of radical pairs formed by encounters of free radicals in solution, the so-called F-pairs. This relation is described by a universal parameter denoted as γ. In this work, the γ value is computed for the arbitrary spin multiplicity, singlet or triplet, of the precursor of the G-pairs as well as for arbitrary recombination rate constants of radical pairs in singlet and triplet states, kS and kT, respectively. Furthermore, the treatment is extended to the situation where radicals undergo transformation resulting in different reactivity or magnetic parameters for F-pairs and G-pairs. The proposed theory enables modeling of time-resolved CIDNP data in cases where (i) both recombination channels are active and (ii) fast protonation/deprotonation of radicals changes the effective γ value.

Magnetic Resonance Characterization of One-Electron Oxidized Cyclic Dipeptides with Thioether Groups.

Photo-oxidation of seven cyclic dipeptides containing methionine, Met, and/or S-methylcysteine, Cys(Me) by electron transfer from the sulfur atom was studied in aqueous solution by time-resolved and field dependent CIDNP (chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization). Hyperpolarized high resolution NMR spectral patterns of the starting peptides detected immediately after pulsed laser excitation show signals of all protons that are bound to carbons neighboring the sulfur atom, thus proving the involvement of sulfur-centered cation radicals. The magnetic field dependence of CIDNP shows a pronounced maximum that is determined by the g-factors and hyperfine coupling constants of the transient radical species. From simulation of the experimental data obtained for the magnetic field dependences of CIDNP, three types of radical structures were characterized: (1) a linear sulfur-centered cation radical of the methionine (Met) residue (g = 2.0107 ± 0.0010) for cyclo-(d-Met-l-Met) (trans-configuration), cyclo-(d-Met-l-Cys(Me)) (trans-configuration), and cyclo-(Gly-Met); (2) a cyclic radical (S∴O)(+) (g = 2.0088 ± 0.0010) with a two-center three-electron bond (2c-3e) structure between the sulfur atom of the Cys(Me) residue and the oxygen atom of cyclo-(d-Met-l-Cys(Me)) and cyclo-(Gly-Cys(Me)); (3) a cyclic radical (S∴S)(+) (g = 2.013 ± 0.0020) with a two-center three-electron bond structure between the two sulfur atoms of the peptides cyclo-(l-Met-l-Met), cyclo-(l-Met-l-Cys(Me)), and cyclo-(l-Cys(Me)-l-Cys(Me)). In contrast, no indication of any type of cyclic radicals with a two-center three-electron bond between sulfur and nitrogen atoms was found. In addition, the hyperfine coupling constants (HFCCs) were determined.

Assessment of Nanosecond Time Scale Motions in Native and Non-Native States of Ubiquitin.

The paramagnetic relaxation times of the aromatic and ß protons of Tyr59 and His68 residues of the native ubiquitin and of Tyr59 residue of the non-native ubiquitin were determined from an analysis of chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) kinetics obtained during the photoreaction of the protein and 2,2'-dipyridyl excited in the triplet state. Using the paramagnetic relaxation times determined earlier for the radicals of free amino acids as an internal standard and assuming that the hyperfine interaction (HFI) anisotropy is very similar for the radicals of free amino acids and the corresponding radicals of amino acid residues in the proteins, we determined parameters that characterize the intramolecular mobility of different protons in native and two non-native states of ubiquitin. The latter are denatured at pH 2 and 57 °C, and the A-state at pH 2 in a 60%/40% methanol/water mixture. The determination of the two parameters of intramolecular mobility (i.e., the correlation time of internal motion, τ(e), and the order parameter, S(2)) was only possible by analyzing paramagnetic relaxation data obtained at two magnetic fields (4.7 and 9.4 T) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. Intramolecular correlation times fall into the submicrosecond-microsecond time scale. Longer correlation times and higher order parameters were found for the less accessible Tyr59 residue than for the His68 residue, as well as for the more buried ß protons than for the aromatic protons for both of the protein residues in the native state. For Tyr59, intramolecular mobility increases following the loss of the tertiary structure of ubiquitin. These findings strongly support the reliability of the obtained data.

Modulation of the rate of reversible electron transfer in oxidized tryptophan and tyrosine containing peptides in acidic aqueous solution.

Time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) was used to investigate reversible intramolecular electron transfer (IET) in short-lived oxidized peptides, which had different structures and contained tryptophan and tyrosine residues, in an acidic aqueous solution with a pH below the pKa of the tryptophanyl cation radical. The CIDNP kinetic data were obtained at the microsecond scale and were analyzed in detail to calculate the rate constants for electron transfer in both directions: from the tyrosine residue to the tryptophanyl cation radical, kf, and from the tryptophan residue to the neutral tyrosyl radical, kr. The charge of the terminal amino group and the presence of glycine and proline spacers were shown to strongly affect the rate constants of the reaction under study. Among these functional groups, the presence and the location of the positive charge on the amino group in close proximity to the cationic indolyl radical had the strongest effect on the rate constant of the forward IET from the tyrosine residue to the tryptophanyl radical cation, kf. This effect was manifested as an increase of 2 orders of magnitude in kf for a change in the linkage order between residues in the dipeptide: kf = 4 × 10(3) s(-1) for the oxidized Tyr-Trp increased to kf = 5.5 × 10(5) s(-1) in oxidized Trp-Tyr. The reverse rate constant for IET was less sensitive to the amino group charge. Moreover, the presence of glycine or proline spacers in the peptides with a tryptophan residue at the N-terminus not only reduced the IET rate constant but also shifted the equilibrium of the IET in the reaction under study toward the formation of tyrosyl radicals with respect to the peptide Trp-Tyr. That is, the glycine or proline spacers affected the difference in the reduction potential of the tryptophanyl and tyrosyl radicals.

Oxidation of purine nucleotides by Triplet 3,3',4,4'-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid in aqueous solution: pH-dependence.

The photo-oxidation of purine nucleotides adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP) and guanosine-5'-monophosphate (GMP) by 3,3',4,4'-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid (TCBP) has been investigated in aqueous solutions using nanosecond laser flash photolysis (LFP) and time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP). The pH dependences of quenching rate constants and of geminate polarization are measured within a wide range of pH values. As a result, the chemical reactivity of reacting species in different protonation states is determined. In acidic solution (pH < 4.9), the quenching rate constant is close to the diffusion-controlled limit: kq = 1.3 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) (GMP), and kq = 1.2 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) (AMP), whereas in neutral and basic solutions it is significantly lower: kq = 2.6 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (GMP, 4.9 < pH < 9.4), kq = 3.5 × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) (GMP, pH > 9.4), kq = 1.0 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (AMP, pH > 6.5). Surprisingly, the strong influence of the protonation state of the phosphoric group on the oxidation of adenosine-5'-monophosphate is revealed: the deprotonation of the AMP phosphoric group (6.5) decreases the quenching rate constant from 5.0 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (4.9 < pH < 6.5) to 1.0 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (pH > 6.5).

Effect of amino group charge on the photooxidation kinetics of aromatic amino acids.

The kinetics of the photooxidation of aromatic amino acids histidine (His), tyrosine (Tyr), and tryptophan (Trp) by 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid (TCBP) has been investigated in aqueous solutions using time-resolved laser flash photolysis and time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization. The pH dependence of quenching rate constants is measured within a large pH range. The chemical reactivities of free His, Trp, and Tyr and of their acetylated derivatives, N-AcHis, N-AcTyr, and N-AcTrp, toward TCBP triplets are compared to reveal the influence of amino group charge on the oxidation of aromatic amino acids. The bimolecular rate constants of quenching reactions between the triplet-excited TCBP in the fully deprotonated state and tryptophan, histidine, and tyrosine with a positively charged amino group are kq = 2.2 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) (4.9 < pH < 9.4), kq = 1.6 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) (6.0 < pH < 9.2), and kq = 1.5 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) (4.9 < pH < 9.0), respectively. Tryptophan, histidine, and tyrosine with a neutral amino group quench the TCBP triplets with the corresponding rate constants kq = 8.0 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (pH > 9.4), kq = 3.0 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (pH > 9.2), and kq = (4.0-10.0) × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (9.0 < pH < 10.1) that are close to those for the N-acetylated derivatives. Thus, it has been established that the presence of charged amino group changes oxidation rates by a significant factor; i.e., His with a positively charged amino group quenches the TCBP triplets 5 times more effectively than N-AcHis and His with a neutral amino group. The efficiency of quenching reaction between the TCBP triplets and Tyr and Trp with a positively charged amino group is about 3 times as high as that of both Tyr and Trp with a neutral amino group, N-AcTyr and N-AcTrp.

Synthesis of nucleotide-amino acid conjugates designed for photo-CIDNP experiments by a phosphotriester approach.

Conjugates of 2'-deoxyguanosine, L-tryptophan and benzophenone designed to study pathways of fast radical reactions by the photo Chemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (photo-CIDNP) method were obtained by the phosphotriester block liquid phase synthesis. The phosphotriester approach to the oligonucleotide synthesis was shown to be a versatile and economic strategy for preparing the required amount of high quality samples of nucleotide-amino acid conjugates.

Changing the direction of intramolecular electron transfer in oxidized dipeptides containing tryptophan and tyrosine.

Intramolecular electron transfer (IET) in the oxidized dipeptide Tyr-Trp was investigated in the pH range from 1.0 to 3.1 by the method of time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization. The results were compared with data obtained earlier for Trp-Tyr. Surprisingly, it was found that the direction of IET changes with the order of the amino acid residues in the peptide. For Tyr-Trp, the rate constant of electron transfer from tyrosine residue to tryptophanyl cation radical is below 1.2 × 10(4) s(-1), whereas for Trp-Tyr, the value of this rate constant is 5.5 × 10(5) s(-1). Conversely, for oxidized Tyr-Trp at pH range 2.1 and lower, electron transfer from tryptophan residue to tyrosyl radical is observed. The rate constant of this reaction is proportional to the concentration of protons in aqueous solution, and at pH 1.0 is equal to 6.5 × 10(5) s(-1). The change in direction of IET observed for oxidized Tyr-Trp dipeptide is presumably due to the positive charge at the N-terminal amino group of the peptide, which promotes electron transfer in the direction of the N-terminus.